Raipur: World champions Australia yesterday defeated Olympic champions Germany 4-1 to set up a semifinal clash against title holders Netherlands at the Hockey World League (HWL) Final here yesterday.

It was a hard-fought second quarterfinal between Australia and Germany but in the end it was the Kookaburras who came out victorious. Earlier in the day, defending champions Netherlands had to fight hard to overcome a gritty Canada 2-0 in the first quarterfinal. The world¿s top two teams -- Australia and Netherlands --
will now lock horns in the first semifinal of the tournament on Friday.